Art Pope ' 78, whose
family has been a
consistent donor to
UNC, wasn't satisfied
that the faculty
teaching the
Western Cultures
minor would have
their hearts in it.
He's given the
University until
October to amend
the proposal.

the gift was for five years, after which theprogram would be evaluated. If the Popesand UNC were satisfied, the Popes couldendow it. (According to Jamie May, directorof the Arts and Sciences Foundation, largerfoundations typically fund for a finite period,after which time the school is on its own topursue an endowment.)Asked what his criteria might be for sat-isfaction at the end of five years, Pope saidthat some are obvious - professorships getfilled, students enroll in big enough nun"l-bers, guest lectures are well-attended - butthat he had asked the University to comeup with that criteria and that UNC hadnot articulated that to him.Asked if he was concerned about thecurriculum at Carolina in general, Popesaid, "Yes. I think some of the courses theyoffer are silly." He said he wasn't recom-mending some courses be discontinued butthat, given the taxpayer investment, it wasright to question some. He also said he wasconcerned about theamount of time pro-fessors spend onresearch vs. teaching.In early April,Pope said no - fornow, at least. Heexplained that theUniversity hadn'tdemonstrated thatfaculty teaching inthe Western CIVminor were enthusi-astic and engaged inthe program. In a letter to Gray-Little, hesaid,"There has been no indication ofwhich faculty will be participating in thevarious components of the proposal,including the vital position of the Directorof Studies in Western Cultures."Asked about the decision, Pope said,"Asa donor, we have absolutely no interest ingetting involved in the University's facultyappointments." But,he added, he could-n't fund the programin the absence of ademonstration ofenthusiastic buy-inby the people whowould be teaching it."We have not seenthat yet," he said.That presents aquandary for theUniversity, Gray-Lit-tle said. Given a five-year period after which the program wouldbe evaluated by the donor for endowment,UNC could not commit tenured professorsto it. "It would be almost irresponsible of usto engage people [faculty] without know-ing if we were going to get the [perma-John William Pope FoundationGiving to University of North Carolina(It~ not negotiating ordictating - as a responsible dono,",we've asked questions. Like aninvestor in business, an investorin philanthropy wants to get thebest return for his investment.'Art Pope ' 78Kenan-Flagler Business SchoolCollege of Arts & SciencesCommittee for Better CarolinaGeneral Alumni AssociationSchool of LawSchool of Social WorkUnrestricted University FundSchool of MedicineAckland Art MuseumStudent AffairsFrank Porter GrahamChild Development Center$77,000$49,749$26,351$25,000$11,500$10,000$5,000$5,000$3,000$4,500$2,000The Popes also have given substantialgifts to the Rams Club, although thefigures are unavailable. Within KenanStadium are the Pope Family Box and theJohn W. Pope Academic Support Centerfor athletes.